Victoria premier sticks to his guns over double-vaxxed stance for Australian Open as he criticises double standards
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews insists that players who want to compete in the Australian Open will need to be double vaccinated despite a leaked email suggesting unvaccinated players could be handed a lifeline.
Last week’s official stance from Australia’s Immigration Minister Alex Hawke and Health Minister Greg Hunt was that players will only be granted visas if they have been vaccinated.
Things, though, took a twist on Monday as a leaked email sent to WTA players claimed that those who have not been inoculated will be able to play if they complete 14 days of hard quarantine in a hotel ahead of the tournament.
Novak Djokovic and co to be given Australian Open lifeline? Leaked email suggests vaccination policy U-turn
Andrews, though, is refusing to chance his stance.
“You try getting into the US… most of Europe, really, so many different parts of Asia if you haven’t been vaccinated,” he told ABC radio.
“Like, you’re just not getting a visa. Why would that be different here?
“I don’t think it’s too much to say, ‘If you want one of those visas and you want to come here, then you need to be double-vaxxed’.
“All the people who are watching the tennis at the Australian Open, they’re going to be double-vaxxed, all the people that work there are going to be double-vaxxed.
“It stands to reason that, if you want to get into the country to be part of that tournament, then you should be double-vaxxed as well.”
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